The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I just got back from a quick trip to Vegas and visited several dealers while I was there.

(And by "dealers" I mean watch dealers. I also had some experience with craps dealers, but we won't go into that....)

Hyde Park Jewelers Caesars Forum Shops

This is the only dealer that I actually purchased from. I called Hyde Park 2 days before I left for Vegas to see if they could order a leather deployant strap in time for me to pick it up (I got tired of waiting for the Seattle AD, Alvin Goldfarb, to finally get around to placing an order with BUSA). They got the strap in time, but did not call me to confirm its arrival like they said that they would. The lack of a phone call kind of annoyed me...I don't like it when interacting with a "full service" dealership is more uncertain than ordering from amazon.com. But at least they did get the strap, which is more than I can say for Goldfarb. They seemed happy to let me look at other Breitlings without pressuring me to buy anything. Their selection was OK, but probably the smallest I have seen at a Breitling AD (I am guessing fewer than about 30 pieces).

Horologio Venetian

This is an impressively-sized watch seller. They carry many high-end brands and have a large selection of Breitlings and Bentleys. And if you like bling on your B'ling, then this is the place for you. They had an entire display case with diamond-bezeled models. They even had a Mulliner Tourbillon (marked, and I kid you not, at 30% off). These guys were very up front with their willingness to discount. I mean really up front. They even had a number of watches marked with 30% off tags. They would also happily ship the watch to you so you can avoid paying sales tax. I was not looking to buy, so I did not haggle with them on anything, but I bet if you stuck to your guns you could really get them down. Amazingly, they did all this talk of great discounts while not making me feel pressured at all. All in all, a pleasant experience.

Wynn & Co Jewelers Wynn

Interestingly, I expected to be impressed with these guys the most, but in the end was impressed the least. They were the first AD I called in search of my strap (since we were staying at the Wynn, I went for the convenience factor). The person I spoke to said that they did not carry my model (a Steelfish) and recommended Tourneau's (I did not really press her on why the model would actually matter...I figured maybe they just did not carry very many Breitlings, or maybe they carried only Bentleys?). When I eventually went to their establishment in person, I noticed several Steelfishes among their quite impressive collection of Breitlings. I asked the salesperson about the information I had been given when I called earlier, and she babbled on for about 2 minutes about how they don't order straps for people because they are afraid of the person not picking them up. But if I had purchased my watch from them, they would have helped me get any strap I wanted. Whatever.

Tourneau Time Dome Caesars Forum Shops

Never have I seen so many watch brands been housed under a single roof. However, their selection of Breitlings (and IWCs for that matter) was actually not that impressive. I also found their salespeople to be quite pushy. One of them had the nerve to ask my wife how much she had paid for her watch. I had called them about ordering a strap and they said it would take 6 to 8 weeks (!).

Roman Times Caesars Forum Shops

This place is not a Breitling AD, but they are so amazing I feel that I should mention them.
Never in the course of human events have so many spectacular watches been housed in such a small space by so few people. This lady carries an unbelievably complete selection of many high-end brands. For example, I have been wanting to see an Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow GMT. None of the Omega dealers in Seattle carry a single Broad Arrow of any kind, much less the GMT. Not a single one. Moreover, none have any desire to order one, either. Not only did Roman Times have about a dozen Broad Arrows, she actually had 3, yes 3!, GMTs. She had not 1 but 4 Piaget Polo 45 Chronographs (these are next to impossible to find). She had one of the largest selections of IWCs in North America. Glaschuette, Chronoswiss, Ulysse Nardin, JLC, Omega, Corum (and even Baume et Mercier and [gasp!] Tag): she had more of each of these brands than I had seen anywhere else. She is a true watch fanatic. It is worth going in there just to talk to her, because she is so enthusiastic about the timepieces she carries. From now on I plan make a point to go visit Roman Times whenever I am in Vegas, just for the experience. I have no idea what kind of discounts she offers, but she must sell a lot to be able to support such a high level of inventory.

Feel free to PM me for contact info for any of these dealers.

Mofongo

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." --Dave Barry

I got back from vegas last night and found the lady I dealt with at hyde park to be pushy and non helpful.I asked to see an emergency and she wouldn't take it out of the safe.why? And tourneau the experience was so so although I have never seen so many watches in my life.the girl I talked to seemed to want to do whatever to sell me the SA I was looking at but her boss wasn't. She asked me what I wanted to pay and said ok.then her mgr came and said he couldn't sell for the price I wanted,which was 30% off he would only give 18. So there is my vegas experience.not sad about not getting one cuz my EM is due tommorow.

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Emergency
Bentley GT
Chrono Colt
Avenger Skyland Blacksteel
Steinhart LE#9/15

Bummer about Hyde Park. That is strange combination to be both pushy, yet not willing to let you examine a watch they actually had in stock. I walked in already having purchased something from them, so I don't know how they would have treated me before that. But I kind of got the feeling that they were like several Vegas watch dealers I had been in (Ca'D'Oro comes to mind, here) where they first are very stand-off-ish until finally some light bulb goes off in their head that says "Ding! Actual potential customer!" and then they fall all over themselves and won't let you out the door.

As for Tourneau, your experience seems to confirm the awkwardness I felt while I was there. I should have felt like a kid let loose in a 10,000 sq ft candy store, but instead I really just felt like I wanted to leave.

Mofongo

_________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." --Dave Barry

the problem for me was at hydepark, the lady was standoffish until she saw i had a bently gt on my wrist then her whole attidude changed. but still wouldnt let me see the EM. oh well no business there.

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Emergency
Bentley GT
Chrono Colt
Avenger Skyland Blacksteel
Steinhart LE#9/15